Eisriesenwelt Ice Cave Tour

Last Sunday, Jason and I visited the Eisriesenwelt (German for "World of the Ice Giants") with our friends Joe and Christine. It is located about 40 km south of Salzburg in Werfen, Austria. Located in Hochkogel mountain in the Tennengebirge section of the Alps, it is the largest ice cave in the world, extending more than 42 km and visited by approx. 200,000 tourists each year.

First, I would like to point out that it is the end of July and the weather has been in the 70s, which is way too cold for me in the summer. I should be laying out by a lake, not freezing on a mountain (but that is a whole other story). The day that we visited the ice caves, it was in the upper 60s and rainy. Blah!

When we arrived, I was less than thrilled to find out that we had to climb 20 minutes up the mountain to the cable car in the cold rain. Once we got off the cable car, we had another 20 minute climb to the entrance of the caves. Thank goodness that I brought my rain jacket, hat, gloves, and an umbrella because it certainly got cooler the higher we went. (Oh, and I definitely should not have brought my purse because I didn't realize how much hiking we were in for... doh!)

When we finally made it to the entrance of the caves, I was starting to get excited. I had looked over some pictures and they looked amazing. While waiting in line, cold and wet, we were greeted by our tour guide, given instructions, and I was handed a latern with a flame. Soon enough, we began our journey up more than 700 steps over 134 meters through the caves.

*Note: Pictures were not allowed to be taken in the cave. Poor Jason brought his camera all the way up and only had the chance to take several pictures before being yelled at inside. So, the next few pictures are from the Eisriesenwelt website  so you can see what it looks like inside.

The tour lasted about 75 minutes and the guide spoke in German followed by English. It is funny because the German version of the tour lasted much longer than the English portion. He must have been much more descriptive in German. Oh well! Inside the cave it was below freezing, so it was a good thing we came prepared! Overall, the tour was wonderful and the views of the ice in the limestone caves were amazing. We had a great time!

On the way back down the mountain, there was a lovely view of Hohenwerfen Castle. Someday I would love to tour the inside, but for now this will do.

Army Girl

This week was a very big week for Kaitlyn, Jason's daughter! On Tuesday, Kaitlyn left for bootcamp for the U.S. Army!! After several weeks of bootcamp, she will have just a day or two of rest and then will be off to training. Kaitlyn's job title is Civil Affairs Specialist. We are very proud of her and know she will do a great job!! Go Kait!! :)

Gaisberg: Jack's First Hike

Salzburg is full of glorious mountains and hills. To be honest, I am surprised it has taken us this long to explore some of them. On Saturday, Jason and I decided to hike Gaisberg for the first time and we brought Jack along with us.

To be honest, I am very impressed with how well Jack did. Being only 4.5 lbs., I thought the little man would have to be carried on our two hour hike uphill. The only times I really carried him were when other dogs were passing us, when we were walking on a bridge, and when he needed help up in steep areas. He did so well! So proud of him!

By the end of it, I think I was more tired than Jack was (and Jason for sure). I had to keep reminding myself "hey, there's a beer garden at the top... not too much longer!!" Works everytime! ;)

Well, here are some pictures of our day:

Vienna Girl's Trip

Being that I am overstaying my welcome in Austria without a residence visa, it was imperative that I got my name changed on my US passport so I could apply for my visa. In the US, to complete this process it usually takes 6-8 weeks. I decided to get this done in Vienna, since it only takes 2 weeks at the US Embassy.

As I was discussing my upcoming trip with my friend Nichole, she said that she and her daughter Lea-Sophie (baby) would love to join me and we could make a little trip out of it. A couple of days later, we got a room on airbnb.com and bought train tickets. Three hours on the train later and we were in Vienna.

As soon as we got to Vienna I realized how different it was than Salzburg. It was such a big city and the fashion was quite different. Many more people spoke English. This all probably had to do with the fact that there were lots of tourists. And there was lots to see!

After we arrived, we headed to the little room that we rented. Airbnb.com is an awesome website where you can rent out a residence rather than staying in a hotel. We ended up staying in a studio apartment off the beaten path but was quite accessible to the metro or "U". After we unpacked a bit, we headed to the ring and had a lovely dinner where we drank lots of wine and people watched. I must say, it was the best people watching I have done in a very long time.

The next morning we were up bright and early. I was off to the US Embassy while Nichole and LS were off to grab some coffee. It did not take me near as long as I thought it would so we went walking all over the city the whole day. For lunch, we stopped at a marvelous cafe on the river and had a bottle of Rose and great food. That night it just happened to be the Wein Film Festival, so we checked it out. It was definitely another great people watching opportunity.

The last morning we packed our things and went out to walk around the city for one last hoorah. We ended up having lunch near museum quarter and walked quite a bit. At 3pm we were on the train on our way back to Salzburg.

Overall, I had a fabulous time. Vienna is such a beautiful city and I am so glad that Nichole came with me. It ended up being a lovely little girl's trip.

I can't wait to take Jason and show him around!

Weird Facts About Austria and It's People

1. They do not sell cookies anywhere. It is hard to make them from scratch because vanilla extract is super hard to find and even when you do find it, they still taste different.
2. You can't turn right at a red light.
3. People always wait at a crosswalk for the green man even if no cars are coming.
4. Some Austrians think that if you walk around barefoot, you will get a bladder infection.
5. They are sticklers for the rules.
6. Austrians really do wear lederhosen and dirndls- they aren't just for the movies and Halloween.
7. After drinking beer here, the beer back in the States tastes like water.
8. The weather here changes all the time. For instance, earlier this week it was in the 80s and today it was in the 60s.
9. Dogs are allowed to go everywhere unless a sign is posted. This includes but is not limited to: restaurants, movie theatres, shops, hair salons, work, bars, parks, beaches, lakes, etc.
10. Flats and houses don't usually have closets, you have to buy wardrobes instead. Still looking for Narnia...
11. People drink beer all the time, even on their lunch break from work.
12. Most families share one car.
13. Not everyone has a TV, let alone multiples TVs in their homes. We are one of them.
14. Automatic cars are rare.
15. Heels are difficult to wear because of the cobblestone roads.
16. You have to bag your own groceries real quick before the person behind you starts to get rung up.
17. Tipping at the restaurant is not manditory, as service is included in the price of the bill. Usually, you just round up on the change.
18. Most people learn to ski when they are children.
19. Kids only have to go to school until they are 14. Then, they can choose a career path- high school/college or specialty program. Awfully young for such major life decisions...
20. There are no good "real" Mexican restaurants.
21. There is no air conditioning in most places, including apartments. Jason hates this!
22. Many restaurants sell turkey salads instead of chicken salad.
23. Prostitution is legal and there are several whorehouses in town, one being next to our favorite restaurant.
24. The legal drinking age is 16 for beer/wine and 18 for liquor even though no one ever gets carded.
25. There is no open container law.
26. Coffee shops serve beer.
27. There are no donuts.
28. Austrians don't like to wear wet bathing suits. They change their bathing suits in public to let their wet one dry off and think nothing of it.
29. Going topless is ok.
30. You can walk anywhere in the city on a sidewalk and get from one point to the other.
31. Austrians are very religious.
32. Before a light turns yellow, it blinks green. Before it turns green, it blinks yellow. Red never blinks.
33. Lines on the road are only white.
34. Taxis are Mercedes.
35. People live in buildings that were built before Columbus found America.
36. All retail shops and grocery stores are closed on Sunday.
37. Gas is over $8/gallon.
38. McDonald's serves beer.
39. Getting fake nails put on costs more than $120 USD.
40. Shampoo always comes in bottles bigger than conditioner.
41. Many drinks come in glass bottles rather in plastic so they can be recycled.
42. Everyone saves their beer bottles and returns them to a grocery store or liquor store for money.
43. There are co-ed, nude saunas everywhere.
44. Instead of going to the pool, most people lay out by the river or go to a lake.
45. Many restaurants have dog bowls with water for those with pets.
46. Tipping is not customary.
47. The smallest bill denomination is $5.
48. Gelato is everywhere.
49. It rains a lot. On average, it rains 200 days per year.
50. People have longer relationships before marriage. It's not uncommon for a couple to date 8+ years.

Wedding Video

Our wonderful videographer, Adam Siegel, just sent me our full wedding video. I hope you love it as much as I do! :)

Click Me!!

4th of July Weekend

We were back in the good ol' U.S.of A. for the 4th of July.

The 4th happens to be my best friend Jessica's birthday so we went up to Lake Lanier to party. It was so nice to spend time together with good friends. We had so much fun! I just love her!  Happy birthday, Jess!! :)

The 4th was also Missy's birthday. She turned 21. Her brother and sister-in-law were my old neighbors. We all went out and had a blast! 

We had a lovely time when we were back in the States. I got all of my name change stuff completed and got all of Jack's international documents in order. Overall, our trip back was a success. We'll be seeing you again soon, Atlanta! :)